The Buried Giant

"The Romans have long since departed, and Britain is steadily declining into ruin. But, at least, the wars that once ravaged the country have ceased. Axl and Beatrice, a couple of elderly Britons, decide that now is the time, finally, for them to set off across this troubled land of mist and rain to find the son they have not seen for years, the son they can scarcely remember"--Dust jacket.

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It was a slow moving book, but what held my attention was the need to find out what will happen to Axel and Beatrice on their journey to find their son. They met a warrior, a knight (one of King Arthur's) and a weird kid, etc. along their way. It takes the end to find out what happened earlier in their lives and the last page to where their journey ends...the latter being what I suspected given the blend of mythology and fantasy cleverly woven in this book.

Travelling through the English countryside in the time of the lord of the rings. Warriors, mystical creatures, a choppy on the road plot where every chapter an entirely new and hazy premise has to be learned for the story to pick up again. It's entirely childish and made up. Good for children. Mediocre children at best. So-so, uninspired, boring, not challenging, over-simplified. Probably not meant for adults or is written for those with limited vocabularies. At least it's only three hundred pages or so and there's almost no referencing needed in this tedious fairy tale. Maybe a bit of Sir Spam-a-lot watered down with rain, wind, and long obtuse journey's

This is a marvelous book by one of my favorite authors. In this post-Arthurian tale of a couple in search of their memories, Ishiguro raises the question - are some things best forgotten? Highly recommended.

This is one of the best books I've ever read. The settings, characters, pace, and meaning are all exceptional, and it is an incredibly moving story. Ishiguro's use of language is absolutely perfect, and I am in awe of his ability to write.

So many have commented on the dialogue in this book being simplistic and repetitive. Do not let this scare you off, as the style of writing in these conversations absolutely serves the larger themes of the book and the relationships of the characters. If you are looking for dialogue which has the sole purpose of moving forward a "plot" then there are probably better choices out there for you. The dialogue here is just a small part of a much larger (and lovely) picture the author has created.

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I wasn't able to stay interested in this book, and my lack of interest just made it harder to continue. Perhaps this wasn't the right time for this book and I to meet, maybe I had unattainable expectations with it being written by a Nobel Laureate. The story starts in a lull, but even as the pace picks up I remained in an unappreciative lull, unable to care or continue.

"In one such area on the edge of a vast bog, in the shadow of some jagged hills, lived an elderly couple, Axl and Beatrice. Perhaps these were not their exact names, but for ease, this is how we will refer to them."